Our first interview for 2016: please meet Martine Lagassé:-)

Martine Lagassé from the Eastern Townships, Qc, I have been living in Toronto for 7 years now.

I’m a registered Nurse and I work in Diabetes Education in a community center.

2.Why Art? Why did you wish to paint/draw in the first place?

Why? Follow an old desire to paint, explore, learn about myself and express a different side of me I guess. Art has been a good way to counter balance working as a nurse in different environments and to take my busy mind off things!

3.How long have you been painting/drawing?

I bought brushes in 2010 while living out West and it’s been growing very gradually since. I started my classes with Milena late summer 2013. Before that I was practicing amateur photography.

4.What inspires you?

Many things! I resonate with many styles, colours, textures and I like vibrant and deep pieces. The way I feel on certain days is also an inspiration. Each project is connected to what I live at that moment and I evolve with the piece.

5.Who is your favorite artist? What type of art do you prefer?

I really like Frieda Kahlo for her intense art. Last year in Vancouver I was moved by an exhibit of Jock MacDonald’s work and the movement in his art. I also like Emily Carr and many Québécois artists you see in galleries out there. When I visit the Art Gallery of Ontario I go see Jean-Paul Riopelle’s, Chevreuse. I see different things every time I look at it, I find it grandiose and mysterious.

6.What’s the best thing about spending time in the studio?

Feeling free, away from the rest and to tap into a part of myself that I don’t get to connect with otherwise . The friendly atmosphere makes it the best place to be creative and it’s relaxing. The social part of it is cool too.

7.What do you like the most about the art classes with Art Doncheva Studio?

Relaxed atmosphere and the students from all ages, working on different projects. I find this liberating and inspiring. I once took an art class at a popular museum where students all did the same things; it did not work for me. I like the studio atmosphere at Milena’s and the cookies we eat on the sofa during the break!

Katie was one of my first students when I moved to Toronto. She’s young and talented, passionate about painting and photography. She shares with us why she likes her art classes with Art Doncheva Studio.

A few words about my art: I would consider myself to have a certain style of painting. I mainly specialize in landscape paintings and I enjoy painting abstracts paintings as well. I also like trying new things in paintings and trying new things, like trying new mediums and different styles.

Why I like spending time in the studio: I really enjoy Art Doncheva Studio, I think it is the perfect size studio to work in. The class sizes are small, so there is more room to yourself, and if you’re having difficulty, then the teacher can come and help you. The studio also shares the room with a few other people, which are also very nice.